Do You Talk To Your Computer?

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Well, do you?

I mean, more than the occasional actual "laugh out loud" reaction to a funny post. I'm talking more along the lines of "shouting at the television" style talking to the computer. Or even sort-of unintentional "replying out loud" when reading an email or something like that.

Is this strange, weird, bizarro behaviour, or just a normal interaction with a machine that most of us use as an interaction tool for more than eight hours a day?

― Super-Kate (kate), Thursday, 15 April 2004 11:12 (twenty-two years ago)

I only swear at mine.

― ipsofacto (ipsofacto), Thursday, 15 April 2004 11:15 (twenty-two years ago)

I mean, obviously I talk to my computer all the time. But I'm one of those people who compulsively talks to inanimate objects - televisions, guitars, coffeemakers, ticket machines, in fact, I'll talk to myself if there's nothing else around. I can't help it. Half the time I'm not even aware I'm doing it out loud, it's more like an internal monologue that I'm not even aware I externalise.

But it's just more pronounced with the computer, because half the time I talk out loud towards the people ON THE OTHER END OF THE COMPUTER when emailing/posting to them.

― Super-Kate (kate), Thursday, 15 April 2004 11:17 (twenty-two years ago)

"FOR FUCKS SAKE COME ON!"

(minutes later)

"let's never fight again"

― stevem (blueski), Thursday, 15 April 2004 11:17 (twenty-two years ago)

Actually, maybe I should rephrase the question as "Is there anyone who DOESN'T talk to their computer?"

― Super-Kate (kate), Thursday, 15 April 2004 11:18 (twenty-two years ago)

half the time I talk out loud towards the people ON THE OTHER END OF THE COMPUTER when emailing/posting to them

rather amusing/worrying considering a selection of our recent exchanges

― stevem (blueski), Thursday, 15 April 2004 11:19 (twenty-two years ago)

Well, perhaps it's to be expected that the better I know the person, the more likely I am to vocalise when typing to them.

― Super-Kate (kate), Thursday, 15 April 2004 11:20 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm one of those people who compulsively talks to inanimate objects - televisions, guitars, coffeemakers, ticket machines, in fact, I'll talk to myself if there's nothing else around.

I talk to myself but not to inanimate objects, much.

― RJG (RJG), Thursday, 15 April 2004 11:22 (twenty-two years ago)

oh, did I mean that?

― RJG (RJG), Thursday, 15 April 2004 11:23 (twenty-two years ago)

I am a programmer, of course I talk to my computer! How would the magic spells work otherwise?

― Ricardo (RickyT), Thursday, 15 April 2004 11:24 (twenty-two years ago)

Ricardo OTM.

― Super-Kate (kate), Thursday, 15 April 2004 11:30 (twenty-two years ago)

you fucking little piece of shit!
compilation errors my ass! You know very fucking well that I meant to put a semicolon (followed by two spaces) there!
fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck
oh wait theres the error.
I also have a bad habit of talking while playing snood.

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Thursday, 15 April 2004 11:32 (twenty-two years ago)

See most people I've lived with or worked with *have* talked to their computers.

Maybe the latter is due to them being programmers, and therefore perhaps more likely to anthropomorphise their machines. But the former? Have I just lived with weird people?

(Also, everyone in my family talks to themselves. Incessantly. I think it might be genetic.)

― Super-Kate (kate), Thursday, 15 April 2004 11:34 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm kinda like Ipsofacto, I swear to inanimate objects and only talk to them when I'm angry.

"Fucking toaster, you're broke again!!!"

"So, coffee machine, this time better make some good coffee!!"

"Decided to fall of my hand again, didn't you, you fucking coffee mug!!!!"

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Thursday, 15 April 2004 11:35 (twenty-two years ago)

I have to beg and plead with my computer sometimes. It laughs in my face most times.

― Madchen (Madchen), Thursday, 15 April 2004 11:39 (twenty-two years ago)

Programs I don't talk to: Safari, i-tunes, Photoshop, Messenger, e-mail.

Programs I do talk to: Word, Excel, Reason.

Program I constantly chat to, cajoling and encouraging, then cursing and threatening and finally begging to do as it's told: Logic Audio

I'm sure this means something but I'm not sure what.

― winterland, Thursday, 15 April 2004 12:28 (twenty-two years ago)

How well/not well certain programmes work?

― Super-Kate (kate), Thursday, 15 April 2004 12:28 (twenty-two years ago)

I have a confession to make, I have sometimes hit my computer, I'm not proud of it but sometimes it provokes me and I lash out... oh Lord, forgive me!

― Dadaismus (Dada), Thursday, 15 April 2004 12:30 (twenty-two years ago)

I bawl my brains out at my PS2 calling it a cheat, does that count?

I talk to myself all the time too, I sometimes worry that when I am older I will be the loon you see muttering to himself down the street. Oh wait I already am.

― Ste (Fuzzy), Thursday, 15 April 2004 12:40 (twenty-two years ago)

Just buy one of those mobile phone earpiece/microphone thingies. Volia, from muttering loon to thrusting young exec in a moment.

― winterland, Thursday, 15 April 2004 13:28 (twenty-two years ago)

I should just pretend that I'm talking on the phone. This is actually a very good suggestion to the dilemma which prompted this question.

― Super-Kate (kate), Thursday, 15 April 2004 13:30 (twenty-two years ago)

Blimey, I chat away to the Beast like billy-o!

*heaving laptop out from the under the sofa*
ME: Hello, the Beast!
The Beast: ...
ME: Time to turn you on then...
The Beast: BUT I WILL NOT WORK!
ME: BUGGER
The Beast: squonk.
ME: Let's try again...
The Beast: phew I won't play silly beggars like that again, beep!
ME: Good Beast.

...

ME: ... it's never talked back before....

― Sarah (starry), Thursday, 15 April 2004 13:39 (twenty-two years ago)

I did actually spend some time last night using speaktext to make my computer talk back to me so I didn't seem like a total nutter when I talked to my laptop. Or maybe that just made it worse...

― Super-Kate (kate), Thursday, 15 April 2004 13:41 (twenty-two years ago)

(That said, it is very amusing to make a Mac read out ILX thread titles in a Stephen Hawking type voice.)

― Super-Kate (kate), Thursday, 15 April 2004 13:41 (twenty-two years ago)

It may be the lowes form of wit, but sometimes I just make sarcastic impressions of my computer when it doesn't do what it's told:

"Ner ner ner! I don't wanna work today Charlie, I'm totally gay, I won't do it! Ner ner ner!" etc. etc.

― dog latin (dog latin), Thursday, 15 April 2004 13:58 (twenty-two years ago)

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